A Collaboration
by Caprica Janeway
Summary: Set after the events of 4x16, a look at the developing Rusty/Sharon/Andy family dynamic - exploring the hazards of fear and honesty.


"She isn't here," Rusty said, opening the front door for Andy.

Andy looked around the lounge room as if he didn't believe the kid, before nodding and walking over to the table.

"I know. She called me from the store. She wanted me to check how much milk you had in the fridge. Apparently you aren't answering her texts."

Andy put a bag on the table. He walked over to check the fridge, while Rusty looked under a couch cushion for his phone. Finding his phone, he scrolled through the five text messages and two missed calls Sharon had left for him.

"Are you going to answer her?" Andy asked from behind the fridge door.

Rusty wasn't answering Andy, he kept staring at his phone as if he had something vital to check. After a few moments he was ready to look up again, and saw Andy waving a bottle of milk from the fridge.

"Depending on your point of view, this is either half empty or half full." Andy added.

Rusty looked back at his phone and opened his message screen. "I'll tell her we need more," he replied.

Andy shook his head and put the milk back in the fridge. Closing the door, he watched the kid stare at his phone. Rusty had started typing, then quickly backspaced, and went back to typing more.

"Is it so hard to tell your mother you need more milk?" Andy asked, moving to the sink and getting himself a glass of water.

Rusty looked up briefly from his phone before walking over to the dining table and taking a seat. Andy filled up another glass of water and brought them over to the table. He slid one glass over to the kid, and watched him as he finished texting.

"Thanks," Rusty said taking the glass.

"No problem," Andy replied. "You know, avoiding her won't make her less angry," he added.

Rusty was holding the glass with two hands, staring at the water in it, and unwilling to look anywhere else. Andy sighed and reached across the table for the bag he had brought with him. Rusty looked up at him, and then turned back to his drink when he sensed Andy look towards him.

"I thought I should return these," Andy said as he pulled out two pairs of grey woollen socks. "They're yours. I think they must have gotten mixed up in the wash."

"Oh thanks," Rusty replied, taking the socks Andy held out in his hand.

"I don't know if I really said it properly after my accident, but I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me?" Rusty asked.

"Yeah. You saved my life - I owe you one. Not to mention the fact that you gave up your room for me, and looked after me. I can't imagine I was the best patient."

Rusty shrugged his shoulders, "I've had worse."

"Yeah, I guess you probably have," Andy replied.

The kid looked up at him then, and they shared an uncomfortable series of seconds just staring blankly at one another until Rusty's phone buzzed. Breaking the gaze, Rusty looked down at his phone and noticed Sharon's simple 'Thank you' message staring back at him. He could tell Andy was still looking at him, though under a furrowed brow this time, and probably curious about the text he received. Before he could look up again, his phone buzzed once more. This time she was asking if Andy was still there, and to ask him if he wanted to stay for dinner. Rusty looked up at the older gentleman, hesitating before asking the question his mother had texted.

"Sure," he replied. "I'll get started on peeling the vegetables," Andy added, standing up and walking over to the kitchen.

Rusty nodded, and replied to his mother who quickly texted back a smiley face. Rusty stared at his phone for a while before looking up at Andy who had started opening cupboards. Eventually Rusty remembered his manners, and put down his phone to help Andy in the kitchen.

"I think I put the peeler in the third draw." Rusty said, moving in front of Andy to retrieve it.

Andy stood back and raised an eyebrow as he took the kitchen tool. "Thanks," he replied, moving to the bench to sort the potatoes. "I thought your mother always kept it in the top draw with the knives."

"Yeah, she does. I just wasn't paying attention when I was clearing out the dishwasher."

"Ah," Andy replied, passing him a handful of carrots to wash.

"Rusty," "Andy," they said in unison.

"You go first," Rusty said putting the carrots on the bench.

Andy let out a breath, and put down the potato he had been holding. He looked ahead of him for what felt like minutes, and Rusty felt himself back in the courtroom again, wondering if he was witnessing the old guy having a stroke.

"She values honesty," he finally said. "But more than that," he continued, "she loves you, and she just wants you to make the kind of decisions that reflect the person she knows...to reflect the kind of person we both know you to be. I know it's hard to be honest when you're afraid of being judged, Believe me, I know. But god, it's even worse disappointing her because you lied."

Rusty swallowed whatever was sitting in his throat. He picked up the potato Andy had put down and started to peel it. "I get it. I just... I guess I just got overwhelmed. I was so obsessed with doing this story on Slider, that I forgot what got me involved in the story in the first place. I wanted to know why. I wanted to know why he did what he did. I just needed to understand that, you know?"

Andy nodded. "Oh believe me, I know. Every wide-eyed cop fresh out of the academy thinks they can answer that question, and you know what they find out?"

"What?" Rusty asked.

"They find out the question isn't half as important as the results. Murderers aren't always the result of a pattern of bad behaviour or misfortune. A lot of them are just every day people who decided in a moment that their anger, greed, or lust is more important than someone else's right to breathe. When you're a cop you have to decide to focus on the how rather than the why. You get more answers from a how question than a why."

"But I'm not a cop."

"No," Andy replied as he began to sort the carrots, "You're also not a philosopher. You're a writer. Provide the facts, add a little commentary - but ultimately it's up to the reader to form their own conclusions."

Rusty put down the potato he had been peeling before looking back at Andy.

"So what do I do about Gus?"

"Get the beans out of the fridge," Andy replied.

"Beans?" Rusty asked walking over to the fridge.

"If you recall, the last time I made dinner without anything green on the menu your mother got up a minute into me serving the gravy before she started steaming broccoli."

"Oh yeah, how could I forget?" Rusty replied shaking his head.

"About Gus," Andy started.

"Yeah?" Rusty passed Andy the beans.

"Apologise to him for not being honest. Don't justify what you did, or why you did it, just say sorry. Then if you're lucky enough that he stays and listens to the whole thing, show him your blog. Let him watch what you've done, and allow him to decide for himself what he thinks about it."

"You think he'll understand? I mean, maybe not understand, but at least see that I was just trying to find out the truth."

Andy moved to the stove and put the beans in the steamer. "I don't know Rusty. I just know you can't make it about him understanding, because then it's still about you. Take it from someone who's spent most of their life apologising - it's not about you, it's not about you, it's not about you. It's about being honest, because that's the right thing to do. You don't get to decide how others interpret your words. Your responsibility is just to give them the truth - oh, and pass me the salt. These beans are going to need every inch of flavour we can offer them."

"Right," Rusty nodded before turning and passing Andy the salt. "Can you... I mean do you mind coming with me?"

"Where?" Andy asked, sweeping the steam away from his face as he lifted the lid to check the heat.

"To Slider's sentencing. I'm not sure I'd be comfortable having Sharon there after disappointing her, and I don't know how I'm going to do this, particularly if Gus is sitting there - watching me, probably hating me."

Andy reached his arm out and patted Rusty gently on the shoulder before turning back to the vegetables. "Like a buffer then?"

Rusty pursed his lips and nodded his head to the side. "Yeah, like a buffer."

Andy nodded in agreement and smiled to himself. "And what are you going to tell your mother?"

"That I'm sorry, and I guess I'll let her decide for herself if that's good enough."

"Then I guess you've got a buffer."

Rusty smiled at the older man. There were a lot of things about people and their relationships he didn't understand. There were things he would tell himself about how people should be, versus how they really are. He frequently found himself between demanding the best of others, but expecting the worst. And kindness was something he struggled not to view with suspicion.

It had been a few months since his mother had officially started dating Lieutenant Flynn. He had felt awkward about it, but more than anything he had felt awkward about his awkwardness. It had been him who had pointed out to the both of them that their friendship appeared to be something more. But when they finally realised that for themselves and decided to explore that further, it had been him who became cautious. He liked the guy. Even if it made him cringe a little with how cutesy they could be, he was happy to see how much his mother smiled when Andy Flynn was around. After years of expecting the worst from one mother's boyfriends, he was now starting to feel comfortable expecting the best from another's.

"Andy, in the spirit of honesty..."

"Yeah?" He asked turning around.

"You love her, right? Sharon, I mean. You do love her?"

Andy ignored the steamer knocking about its lid as the water continued to boil. He felt the perspiration begin to surface around his hairline, and he heard nothing but Rusty's question bouncing it's way through his head.

"I love her. More than anything. I ah… I can't believe I'm telling you before telling her," Andy said as he shook his head at his words.

Rusty smiled. Nodding at Andy, he walked past him to lower the heat on the steamer. "Then tell her, and see what she says in return."

"I ah-"

"You just said to me that it's hard to be honest when you're afraid," Rusty interrupted."I get why you would wait. She's been through a lot, and this relationship of yours..." Andy looked up at Rusty curious about his definition. "…this relationship of yours is something you're both very keen on getting right, and I get it. But you love her - and that's something people shouldn't be afraid to say."

Andy swallowed the lump in his throat. The kid had used his own words against him - typical reporter, he thought. Four years ago this young kid threw himself into their lives. Some how between the tantrums, tears and laughter he'd netted himself to everyone around him, and without knowing it, they all began to call him family. Andy smiled at the memory of the younger Rusty sitting with him at a bus station waiting for his mother, begging him to say nice things. He then remembered the kid that he saw through foggy eyes leaning over his hospital bed, desperate to see if he was okay. He remembered Rusty's shoulders relax, the sigh he made after Andy had said hi, and the flurry of noise as Sharon rushed up to the bed beside him.

Today Andy would tell one member of this family he loved them, eventually he'd say the same to another.

"Can someone please help me with these bags?"

Both men turned around to see a well-laden Sharon Raydor at the entrance way trying to close the front door with her foot. They looked back at each other before getting up to go to her side.  
"Thank you," she said as she passed them the bags of groceries. "Oh have you started cooking something? I brought pizza." Sharon waved the pizza box in her hand as the two men took the groceries to the kitchen.

"Well we steamed some beans, peeled a lone potato and stared at some carrots. I'd hardly call it dinner," Andy replied as he unpacked the groceries.

"Yeah, I mean your pizza is already cooked. So logically…" Rusty added.

Sharon raised an eyebrow at the two of them and shook her head as she walked into the kitchen. As Andy popped his head out from the fridge she pulled his face towards him and gave him a light peck on the lips.

Rusty looked past Sharon, and looked at Andy while tilting his head towards his mother.

"Thanks for getting the pizza Sharon, and ah sorry for not answering your calls."

Sharon turned around to her son and nodded. She reached out her hand and smoothed down an errant strand of hair on his head. "Have something to eat, and if you want, we'll talk later okay?"

"Sure," he said as he reached out and hugged her. Sharon's eyes widened at the unexpected show of affection. She looked over Rusty's shoulder at Andy who was smiling widely, and she began to gently pat her son's shoulder.

"Thanks for the pizza," Rusty said. He pulled away from her, picked up his plate, and took it with him to his bedroom.

Sharon put a hand on her hip and watched him walk down the hall. After he had closed the door she still remained standing there watching his bedroom door. Andy walked over to her with a slice of pizza in his hand, watching her watching the door, then watching her again.

"Sharon," he said, putting the pizza down on his plate.

She turned towards him still with her hand at her hip.

"He loves you…"

She nodded her head smiling at the thought.

"And so do I."

The hand at her hip slid away, and her head straightened as she looked closer at Andy. She could feel her breath halt in her throat and she had to stop and let her brain remind her of what he just said.

"Ah," she began, waving her finger in the air as if she was trying to rewind his words.

"You love me?"

"Well that's ah, that's how it's described. Love I mean, ah… that's how I'd describe it." he replied, moving in front of her, watching her eyes flicker over his words.

"Oh, ah… um… fine."

Sharon looked down at her feet and she found herself trying to stifle a giggle. Putting a hand in front of her mouth in an effort to control herself, she took a deep breath and walked closer to Andy. Reaching out her hand to his face she stroked her thumb over his cheek.

"Show me," she whispered.

He smiled under her touch and leaned forward. He put his hands under her arms and pulled her into an embrace. As soon as his lips were on hers she felt her body shrug into his arms. There was a release of weight from hearing those words, and feeling such strength behind them she began to smile under his kiss.

Sensing her respond and then smile, he pulled away to look at her. She had this kind of half smile he had learnt was anything but innocent. She licked her lips and shook her head at him. "That's how it's described? Your feelings? You love me?" she asked smoothing down his shirt.

He tilted his head to the side and shrugged. "I could go into more detail if you like."

"I'd like," she replied.

He picked up her hand and kissed it.

"I love you," she breathed.

He pulled his head away from her hand and smiled at her. There was no reservation in her eyes. She had said the words as clear she would say her own name. Without letting go of her hand he added, "I thought I was telling this story?"

She raised an eyebrow at him and let go of his hand. Moving closer to him, she reached out her arms to rest on his shoulders, and wrapped her hands together behind his neck.

He watched the way her eyes turned a darker shade of green, how she tilted her head ever so slightly to watch him watching her. She pursed her lips together and leaned in with barely an inch between them.

"Let's call this… a collaboration," she whispered.

He leaned forward, feeling her lips once again pressed against his own, and he began to find a new appreciation for the craft of writing.

.

.

* * *

 **A/N:** I just love the new family dynamic the show has brought us between Rusty, Sharon and Andy. So I just had to write a little piece to explore that further. Thanks for reading!


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